Past, Present, Me
by Moonlit Sage
Summary: Songfic, set to ready steady go by L'arcenciel. Tally thinks about what her life has been like as she continues to move foreward.


Hello all! My first fanfiction, and a songfic at that. Wow. Never thought I'd see the day when I'd remember to post it here. Amazing. Ah well. Enjoy! Oh yeah, you should be able to figure it out, but the romaji lyrics are on the left, English translation on the right. That should keep most of you happy, right?…Hey, don't tell me you people are still reading this! Scroll down to the actual work! That's better.

Disclaimer: These wonderful characters do not belong to me, nor do the books they come from. They belong to Scott Westefeld. Similarly, READY STEADY GO! belongs to L'arc-en-ciel.

Claimer: But this songficwas all my idea. Yay! I feel better now.

Past, Present, Me

Tally Youngblood grinned. Her teeth gleamed in the early morning light, currently retracted from their full, fang-like length. She stretched her arms above her head, the tattoos across her skin flashing madly. She took a deep breath, the crisp morning air burning into her lungs. She blinked, setting out an infrared map over her eyesight. Sometimes, the natural beauty of the world was painful to see. She waited for her vision to fade, the temperature reading map replacing vivid colors with shades of red. Once it settled, the infrared overlayquickly picked David's sleeping form out in dancing flames. Tally nudged the sleeping boy with her booted toe. It was morning, time to go.

READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK  
READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK  
READY STEADY NEVER LOOK BACK  
LET'S GET STARTED READY STEADY GO

Restricted to standard model hoverboards, they faced a day's non-stop travel before they could reach New Pretty Town. The prospect did not phase Tally in the slightest. Escaping that final operation had allowed her to keep her Cutter body, designed to be on the cutting edge of life itself. She could go for days without more than a ten minute catnap and look none the worse for it. But the cruel beauty was hers alone. The rest of the Cutters had been tamed. And David would certainly need to rest eventually. He was by no means perfect; after all, he was still just a random, just an Ugly. But he was strong enough; he could keep up better than most.

They pushed their hoverboards to the limit. Remaining over the river provided both a constant magnetic push to keep them aloft and a cooling bath once in a while to keep their boards from overheating. The banks to the left and right remained a blur throughout the morning, but Tally knew where she was going.

fukitonde yuku fuukei korogaru youni mae e  
kurushi magire demo hyouteki wa mou minogasanai

ate ni naranai chizu yaite shimaeba ii sa  
uzumoreta shinjitsu kono tenohira de tsukamitorou

(The scenery is being blown away as if it's rolling forward  
Despite my desperation I won't miss my target

It'd be fine if this useless map were to burn to ash  
Because I'd grab the buried truth in the palm of this hand)

It had been a year since Tally's escape. Since then, she and David had been constantly checking the expansion of the civilized world. It was ironic, really. Tally had been a Crim before. Then, she had been trying to expand the world, for herself and her friends. But that was how Tally worked. And it was for the best, really, when she was left to herself. Tally's mischief only got out of hand when someone tried to hem her in. If she had learned one thing, it was that she, Tally Youngblood, controlled her fate. For better or worse, she would do what seemed best and follow her heart. It was a simple truth to live by, but it held after countless ordeals.

muchuu de -hayaku- kakenukete kita  
urusai kurai ni harisakesou na kodou no takanari  
hibiite -yonde- iru kimi no koe  
koko de tachitomaru you na jikan wa nai sa READY STEADY GO

kazoekirenai kizu kakaekonde ite mo  
chotto ya sotto ja tamashii made wa ubawasenai

(I came running through -quickly- in a total blur  
My loud pulse throbs so violently it could rip me apart  
Your voice -yelling- and resounding  
There's simply no time to stop and stand around here READY STEADY GO

Even if I carry these countless scars with me  
Quickly or softly, either way you aren't getting my soul)

Slicing low around the next bend of the river, Tally lay almost parallel to the water. Her reflection wavered and leapt about on the surface, barely keeping pace. Even in the water her skin, dark from a layer of tattoos, was lined with white scars. Fine as spider's silk, they traced around her hands and up her arms. Her legs also bore Cutter scars. For the longest time, it seemed, her body had outlined the story of her life. But she had made a promise.Today marked a fullyear now, during which Tally had kept record of her life without cutting herself. After all, she had made a promise. If keeping her word meant staying on this earth when she wanted to be gone, well, she _was _Tally. What did anyone expect her to do?

ano oka no mukou de kimi ni deaeta nara  
nani kara hanasou sonna koto bakari omou yo

muchuu de -hayaku- kakenukete kita  
urusai kurai ni harisakesou na kodou no takanari  
hibiite -yonde- iru kimi no koe  
koko de tachitomaru you na jikan wa nai sa READY STEADY GO

(If I met with you on the other side of that hill  
What should we talk about? I only think of that experience

I came running through -quickly- in a total blur  
My loud pulse throbs so violently it could rip me apart  
Your voice -yelling- and resounding  
There's simply no time to stop and stand around here READY STEADY GO)

Tally jerked herself upright again. She canceled the infrared map and darted into the sky. High above the river she cut her speed and simply hovered. Far below her, and a little behind, David inched up the river. Looking out, Tally could see New Pretty Town sitting on the horizon. There, she and David planned to recruit more members of their resistance. Tally looked further, allowing her gaze to wander to the Ruins…Zane had waited a year for her to come and say hello. Surely he would understand if it took her longer than that to join him. She smiled, her teeth extending.

The sky, endless and blue, enclosed Tally on three sides. Below her, the river was a silver ribbon, snaking through a deep green forest. The scents of the wild sharpened the air. Her hoverboard was steady beneath her feet. But this was not the place for that. Tally shifted, completely cutting the power to her board.

READY STEADY CAN'T HOLD ME BACK  
READY STEADY GIVE ME GOOD LUCK  
READY STEADY NEVER LOOK BACK  
LET'S GET STARTED READY STEADY GO

Freefalling ,Tally relaxed. Air roared around her. It snatched the breath from her lungs and tore her hair free to whip around her face. Tally closed her eyes and smiled, feeling an electric pulse slide over her entire body. The pressure around her built, tearing at her senses. She continued to fall, spinning in tight circles as she pulled in her arms.

kokoro wa -hashiru- ano sora no shita  
soramawari suru kimochi ga sakebidasu no o tomerarenai  
kimi made -todoke- kitto ato sukoshi  
atsuku hizashi ga terasu kono michi no mukou READY STEADY GO  
PLEASE. TRUST ME.

(My heart -races- beneath that sky  
I can't stop my racing senses from shouting out  
I must -reach- you, surely just a little further  
The hot rays of the sun reflect the other side of this path READY STEADY GO  
PLEASE. TRUST ME.)

All at once, it was over. The pressure snapped and fell away, leaving the world sharper than broken glass. Tally flipped off her board and dove the remaining distance into the river, gasping as the icy water caressed her body with sharp fingers. A fountain of water marked her point of entry, and just above floated a rider-less board. Panting with excitement, Tally pulled herself back onto her board. Her synthetic body handled the fall well, but her tattoos were still spinning faster than could be followed. The harsh beauty of the world burned at her eyes, it made her heart ache; Tally drank it all in.

Impatiently, Tally swept her wet hair from her face. As her skin warmed once again, David finally caught up. She laughed at him and shook her whole body, dislodging a shower of water.

Just a little longer,Zane would understand.

Fin.

So, did ya like it? If you did, please review. If you didn't, well, why'd you read the whole thing then? Byebye!


End file.
